Employing Persons with Disability Guidelines

Over 600 million people worldwide have a physical, sensory, intellectual or mental disability of one form or another. Also, due to ageing populations, the percentage of people with disabilities among the world population will increase in the years ahead. Societies need to recognize the need for improvement of living conditions and participation of persons with disabilities for a better and more inclusive environment.

People with disabilities face greater difficulties than the average population, due to barriers to accessing services that many would take for granted. People with disabilities often do not have access to decent education, healthcare and economic activities The lack of accessibility in transportation, buildings, education and employment are a few examples that hinder persons with disabilities in every day life.

In terms of giving opportunities for persons with disabilities to work, the government, public and private sector, as well as civil society, need to ensure that various legal and social barriers to employing people with disabilities are removed. People with disabilities have a right to work, live independently, and get opportunities of personal development. Excluding persons with disabilities from the world of work has costs for the society, and the productive potential of people with disabilities are often ignored. The ILO estimates that this exclusion may cost countries between one and seven per cent of its gross domestic product.

In Indonesia, the Government has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in November 2011. Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibited by many laws. There are two major legislation concerning persons with disabilities in Indonesia: the Act of the Republic of Indonesia Number 4/1997 concerning Persons with Disabilities, and its implementing regulation, Government Regulation No. 43/1998 (on Efforts to Improve the Social Welfare of Persons with Disabilities). However, many of these laws are still charity based and therefore do not fully comply with UNCRPD. Moreover, there is no consolidated and accurate data on the situation of disabled people in Indonesia. Different research methods and criteria are used which results in widely different outcomes.

The objective of these guidelines is to provide practical guidance and advise for employers on the managing disability issues in the workplace.